CSC is a 50-year-old pioneer, forerunner and cosmopolite
This year marks 50 years since the start of our activities. When the Univac central computer and its punch cards were harnessed for scientific and research use in 1971, the world was still discovering how to utilize ICT services.
Only a handful of people from the personnel of the then State Data Centre (VTKK) transferred to work with new tasks created around the computer.
At the beginning of our jubilee year, we are living in a global world where research that efficiently utilizes data, artificial intelligence and computing certainly plays a more important role than ever before.
Today’s research aims to quickly solve current challenges from the climate crisis to pandemics. Research also helps to develop targeted drugs for the treatment of illnesses, enable new innovations and support society as a whole in its changes and successes.
During the decades that CSC has been active, the importance of information technology as a means of research has grown from one-off calculations to a tool that supports researchers through the entire research process.
In fact, efficient super computer resources that support artificial intelligence and accelerate research work are key services for researchers, as well as secure and structured data management in the processing and sharing of data.
Data is the foundation of digitalization. After information in its various forms becomes data, research in virtually all fields of science has become a part of the scope of our services. Being able to transform information into data has also allowed our various public administration customers, such as cultural services, to develop digitalization services with us, such as long-term storage.
Our knowledge of data management has also become central in the development of digitalization of education based on shared information resources and the flexible learning that this enables, as well as in the organization of information management in global research networks in health science.
Our staff, our services as a whole and the number of users have grown at the same rate as the role of ICT services has become more important – especially in the last decade at an increasing pace.
Our current presence is based on providing value to our customers by ensuring high-quality IT services that support their goals. At the same time, we are a forerunner in the entire sector, both in Finland and globally.
Together with our partners and customers, we have always been a pioneer who has been the first to connect Finland to the Internet, and now is closely involved in the development of research networks, HPC environments, data management, artificial intelligence and future quantum technology.
We are constantly investing in our data management and computing environments. In addition to the recently modernized telecommunications networks and the national research environment, our data center will also have a new EU resident during our jubilee year – one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, LUMI.
Our operations focus on the success of our customers and the well-being of Finnish society. At the same time, we are a cosmopolitan actor, as our customers and partners’ networks are international. Our feet are firmly planted on the soil of sustainable development in Finland, the strengths of which we also draw from in cooperation for the benefit of favorable development in the EU and the whole world.
Kimmo Koski
CEO, CSC – IT Center for Science